Outer carton structure to facilitate price marking



June 20, 1967 w. M. TOLAAS ETAL 3,326,369

OUTER CARTON STRUCTURE TO FACILITATE PRICE MARKING Filed March 29, 1965 INVENTOR fez/ms Ens/wuss! W/z. L MM M. WALTER QM) w down I Z 0 l L l I: 32 J] 21 I I BY 30 United States Patent OUTER CARTON STRUCTURE T0 FACILITATE PRICE MARKING William M. Tolaas and Walter H. Rasmussen, St. Paul,

Minn., assignors to Waldorf Paper Products Company,

St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Mar. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 443,333 2 Claims. (Cl. 20665) This invention relates to an improvement in outer cartons and deals particularly with outer cartons including exposure strips which afford access for marking the inner carton or the like contained within the outer carton.

Many cartons are designed to enclose one or more rows of smaller cartons of identical shapes. For example, an outer carton may enclose twelve Jello inner cartons. In an' outer carton which is designed to contain several identically-shaped smaller cartons, it is oftentimes de sirable to mark the items within the carton with such notations as price, date, special sale information, and the like. It is, of course, most convenient if in marking the items within the outer carton that the carton need not be completely opened thereby scattering the contents and making them difficult to store or place on a shelf for display. Oftentimes, a carton surrounding smaller cartons is used for display or to induce a customer to select the entire enclosed group of items rather than to select a single item from the carton. It is, therefore, desirable to enclose items within a carton which may be easily opened to expose the contents for marking yet continue to adequately surround the items for subsequent storage or display. Of the carton structures presently available on the market, several are objectionable in that in some instances the carton is destroyed and in other instances, although the carton is not destroyed, all of the items are not exposed so that access may be obtained for marking.

It is an object of our invention to provide an outer carton, designed to enclose one or more rows of smaller inner cartons, which is both easy to open for purposes of gaining access for marking the smaller cartons and which continues to contain the smaller cartons after they have been marked.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a carton which, after the price has been marked on each of the smaller inner cartons contained in the outer carton, may be quickly opened for easy removal of any selected, ma ked, smaller carton.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of the carton as it appears closed and containing two rows of smaller inner cartons and two exposure strips in registry with the smaller inner cartons.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic View of the carton as it appears with exposure strips partially opened in order to expose the items packed within the carton.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the carton showing the exposure strips removed exposing the items packed so that marking may be done.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton is formed.

The construction of the carton is best illustrated in FIGURE 4 which shows a typical carton blank, the dimensions of which may be varied between wide limits.

The blank includes a rectangular bottom wall panel having end edges and first and second side edges. Bottom closure flaps 11 are hingedly connected to the end edges of said rectangular bottom wall panel 10 along fold lines First rectangular side wall panel 13 having end edges and first and second side edges is hingedly connected along its first side edge to the first side edge of said bottom wall panel 10 along fold line 14. End flaps 15 are hingedly connected to the end edges of first side wall panel 13 along fold lines 16 which fold lines are substantially in line with fold lines 12.

Rectangular top wall panel 17 having end edges and first and second side edges is hingedly connected along its first side edge to the second side edge of first side wall panel 13 along fold line 19. Top closure flaps 20 are hingedly connected along each end edge of top wall panel 17 along fold lines 21 which fold lines are substantially in line with fold lines 12.

Second rectangular side wall panel 24 having end edges and first and second side edges is hingedly connected along its first side edge to the second side edge of top wall panel 17 along fold line 25. End flaps 26 are hingedly connected to the end edges of second side wall panel 24 along fold lines 27 which fold lines are substantially in line with fold lines 12. Glue flap 29 is hingedly connected to the under surface of second side wall panel 24 along fold line 30.

Top wall panel 17 includes two exposure strip 31 which consist of two pair of spaced parallel weakened lines and opening tabs A comprising a out line intermediate the ends of the weakened lines of each exposure strip and communicating therewith. In the illustration, the two strips are shown to correspond with the number of rows of smaller cartons contained within the larger carton. Since the smaller cartons are packed within the larger carton in rows parallel to the sideedges thereof, the exposure strips are parallel to the side edges of top wall panel 17. A cut line intersects one end of each pair of weakened lines of each exposure strip along the fold line 21.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention, a perforated line 32 connects the inside parallel weakened lines of exposure strips 31 so that the outer carton may be quickly and easily opened after the exposure strip 31 have been removed. Also included in the preferred embodiment of our invention is a notch 33 along the second side edge of bottom wall panel 10 adapted to receive glue flap 29.

FIGURE 1 shows the outer carton completely assembled and enclosing a plurality of rows of smaller cartons. Exposure strips 31 are arranged over each of the two rows of smaller cartons packed Within the outer carton. Opening tabs A are shown immediately prior to opening the outer carton. Perforated line 32 is shown as connecting the inside weakened lines of each of the exposure strips 31 and perpendicular to the exposure strips 31.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective drawing illustrating the outer carton with the exposure strips 31 partially removed thereby exposing a plurality of rows of smaller cartons B. Perforated line 32 as shown in FIGURE 2 has not been broken.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the outer carton after the exposure strips '31 have been removed thereby exposing all the smaller cartons B contained within the outer carton. Perforated line 32 has not been broken.

The outer carton is assembled by folding second side wall panel 24 upwardly along fold line 25 into face contact with top Wall panel 17. Bottom Wall panel 10 is then folded upwardly along fold line 14 into face contact with side wall panel 13 and overlapping and in registry with glue flap 29. In operation, this procedure is done automatically by simply plowing side wall panel 24 and bottom wall panel 10 inwardly into face contact with top wall panel 17 and side wall panel 13 and simultaneously coating a glue on the undersurface of glue flap 29. In completing the automatic operation, glue flap 29 is adhered to bottom wall panel 10. The carton is then shipped in this form to the user.

The outer carton, upon preparation for loading by the user, is squared up, the product automatically inserted from either end, and both endclosure assemblies secured. This is done by folding, into a common plane, the end flaps and 16, the bottom closure flap, and the top closure flap, and securing the end flaps and the top and bottom closure flaps in the common plane.

The exposure strips are operated by grasping opening tab A and pulling upwardly. If it is desired that the outer carton be completely opened, the perforated line 32 may be broken after the exposure strips have been opened.

Any number of exposure strips may be utilized depending on the number of rows of cartons or the like contained by the outer carton. The exposure strips correspond with the number of rows of smaller inner cartons and are parallel to and in registrywith the rows. The perforated line 32 for completely opening the carton may connect a plurality of exposure strips at the end of the exposure strip opposite the opening tab.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our improvement in'cartons; while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing fromthe spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. An outer carton in combination with a plurality of rows of smaller inner cartons or the like including in combination:

generally rectangular top and bottom wall panels and generally rectangular side wall panels connected in tubular relation,

bottom and top closure flaps hingedly connected to end edges of the bottom wall panel and top wall panel respectively secured in overlying relation to provide an outer carton,

a plurality of exposure strips in said top wall panel corresponding to the number of rows of inner cartons, each exposure strip including a pair of closely spaced parallel weakened lines,

each said exposure strip located parallel to and in registry with a row of inner cartons contained in said outer carton,

each said exposure strip having an opening tab comprising a cut line intersecting one end of said weakened lines of each exposure strip adjacent said hinge connection of said bottom and top closure flaps to said bottom and top wall panels,

wherein removal of each said tear strip exposes a portion of each inner carton in a registered row to enable said inner carton to be marked or the like While being only partially exposed.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which a perforated score line intersects the other end of said exposure strips perpendicular to the exposure strips, the portion of the panel intermediate said exposure strips being adapted to be removed from said carton when said panel portion is separated from said carton along said perforated score line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,928,539 3/ 1960 Chirchiglia. 2,982,400 5/1961 Andre. 3,086,649 4/ 1963 Johnson. 3,111,223 11/1963 Jacobi 229-39 X 3,141,598 7/1964 Rasmussen et a1.

FOREIGN PATENTS 687,951 6/ 1964 Canada.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner.

D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN OUTER CARTON IN COMBINATION WITH A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF SMALLER INNER CARTONS OR THE LIKE INCLUDING IN COMBINATION: GENERALLY RECTANGULAR TOP AND BOTTOM WALL PANELS AND GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SIDE WALL PANELS CONNECTED IN TUBULAR RELATION, BOTTOM AND TOP CLOSURE FLAPS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO END EDGES OF THE BOTTOM WALL PANEL AND TOP WALL PANEL RESPECTIVELY SECURED IN OVERLYING RELATION TO PROVIDE AN OUTER CARTON, A PLURALITY OF EXPOSURE STRIPS IN SAID TOP WALL PANEL CORRESPONDING TO THE NUMBER OF ROWS OF INNER CARTONS, EACH EXPOSURE STRIP INCLUDING A PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL WEAKENED LINES, EACH SAID EXPOSURE STRIP LOCATED PARALLEL TO AND IN REGISTRY WITH A ROW OF INNER CARTONS CONTAINER IN SAID OUTER CARTON, EACH SAID EXPOSURE STRIP HAVING AN OPENING TAB COMPRISING A CUT LINE INTERSECTING ONE END OF SAID WEAKENED LINES OF EACH EXPOSURE STRIP ADJACENT SAID HINGE CONNECTION OF SAID BOTTOM AND TOP CLOSURE FLAPS TO SAID BOTTOM AND TOP WALL PANELS, WHEREIN REMOVAL OF EACH SAID TEAR STRIP EXPOSES A PORTION OF EACH INNER CARTON IN A REGISTERED ROW TO ENABLE SAID INNER CARTON TO BE MARKED OR THE LIKE WHILE BEING ONLY PARTIALLY EXPOSED. 